


Reconciliation- A Mass Effect Epilogue

by Gowombat83



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2018-11-18 09:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11288739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gowombat83/pseuds/Gowombat83
Summary: The Reapers have fallen, the war is won. But Garrus still has a fight ahead of him, and even more to lose.**on hiatus**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (not wholly canon) needs editing, so many errors! Once fully published I'll clean it up. Anther attempt at the allround fanfic genre with angst and fluff.

_Here comes the headache again_ , he thought. It seemed that they were becoming more frequent. It had been three months since London. Three months since the Reapers had fallen. Three months since she….Garrus brutally pushed the thought away, and let the crushing pain at his temples wash over him and drown it out. Shepard wasn’t dead, in the literal sense, but she was just as out of reach.

He’d found her six days after the beam run. Broken, damaged, more dead than alive, and while her physical wounds had almost healed she still hadn’t come back to herself. Garrus often slipped back into those memories, wounded and heartsick, exhausted and desperate, he’d searched through the rubble to find her. Refusing to believe she was gone he had been gripped by a single-mindedness that his friends just couldn’t pull him out of even to rest. But they never stopped searching, even when he knew many of them had stopped hoping.

“Garrus,” Tali’s voice broke into his reverie, “are you coming down before you go to the hospital tonight?” she asked. Tali had taken it upon herself to try to take care of him. He smiled wryly to himself,

“I’ll be down in a minute,” he replied through the intercom. While Shepard was in Huerta Memorial he’d taken up residence at the apartment to be close by. Sometimes the others stayed as they passed through the Citadel, Tali when she wasn’t on Rannoch business, Ash and James when they weren’t running dignitaries around on the Normandy, even Liara was a regular guest. Come to think of it he was rarely alone, why hadn’t he noticed that before. Tali, taking care of him again.

He stretched his legs under the desk and closed the terminal. Having taking an advisory position to the Primarch he spent most of his days reading reports or attending meetings about the recovery efforts, but he wasn’t complaining. The desk job kept him on the Citadel, no travel, which was exactly that was he wanted it.

Garrus headed down stairs to the kitchen before heading to the hospital as he did every night. And like most evenings when she was there Tali had made him a meal, she said, it was she knew he was at least eating a few nights a week.

“Anything new today Garrus?” she asked, putting a plate of dextro sushi on the bar for him, and she took a seat across from him with her own meal.

“The Primarch has finally had word about the missing supply shipments for Palaven,” he replied “apparently the relay is still off the mark and has been dumping the freighters in some empty corner of the system. Once they'd realised what was happening they were able to send some ships out to recover them but the first few we sent haven’t been recovered yet, likely they’ve floated away or been pulled onto some nearby rock.”

“But at least they’re starting to get some supplies through now, “ Tali said “They must have been getting desperate”

“Yeah, just in time I think. They should be able to get more through now they know where it’s spitting them out” he said.

Since the blast much of the Prothean technology had glitched, nothing major and most had been repaired by now, but the Trebian relay trajectory was still malfunctioning. They’d managed to deploy some of the keepers to repair other relays in the hopes they would work their magic like they did on the Citadel. It was a long shot since no-one really knew much about them except that they’d been an advanced race harvested by the Reapers in a previous cycle, and like so many others had been appropriated for the Reapers own purposes. It had worked to a point, only the Trebian relay was still off. It kept dumping ships in an empty little corner on the edge of the Turian home space.

“They still haven’t been able to work out all the kinks, huh?” she asked.

Garrus shook his head “They’ve got their best working on it but I don’t know, it’s not a big problem if you just factor in the extra travel time, it’s a pretty consistent exit point.”

“Not quite their best,” Tali teased. Garrus almost smiled. Tali nervously shifted her weight, gaze down, “So,” she said hesitantly, “ How is she? It’s been a while since I,” she broke off.

“Don’t feel bad Tali,” Garrus said gently, “She would understand. You do a lot for the Normandy crew and for me. And it’s hard,” He tried to swallow past the hard lump in his throat, “it’s hard to see her like that. Like a Husk.” He finished.

“Don’t say that,” she said softly, her chest tight as she recognised the black emptiness that flashed across his face. His pain, his burden, was slowly crushing him.

His headache came roaring back with the effort of holding the darkness from welling up and sucking him down into that cold still place where his pain lived. He sometimes thought that was all he could feel now- pain. Or nothingness. The gaping hole in his heart that her warmness used to fill, or the crushing grief and fear that threatened to drown him whenever he thought he’d never be warmed by her again.

Turians weren’t an especially emotional species. They understood family, duty, loss, but he wondered if his long proximity to other races, humans, her, had somehow changed him. Before her he hadn’t known what it was to feel so deeply; the depth of pain he felt when he’d thought she was gone, the cold fear when she put herself in danger, the fierce pride when she beat the odds.

Even when he’d been waiting for news of his Father and Sister he hadn’t had that dark heavy sense of dread that threatened to overwhelm him like it did when she’d gone on alone toward that beam. But even so he couldn’t regret meeting her because there was also the joy. When she smiled up at him, touched his face, kissed him, and the heat of her would flow through his body and make him shiver and make him whole. Love, that was love, he knew that now. He loved her. All these powerful feelings, so un-Turian. Well, he’d never really been a very good Turian anyway.

He sighed and shook his head, “I’d better go,’ he said to Tali as he stood, and left her sitting at the bench, a confused tilt to her head.

*******

Tali watched him leave without a word. She was worried. It seemed these days that Garrus didn’t stand quite so tall, like he carried a heavy weight, and he would vague out. He’d be talking one minute and suddenly he just be gone. She didn’t want to think about where his mind went, from his expressions it was nowhere good. She didn’t blame him, everyone had their way of coping but she worried. They all did. He’d lost his spark, or at least it was buried very low. Now when he wasn’t guarding himself, in those moments when he’d slip from reality she saw sorrow. Raw as an open wound. Then he’d come back, he didn’t even seem to know it’d happened. He was losing himself pieces at a time and it scared her.

“Shepard,” Tali whispered, “you’d better come back soon or there won’t be anything to come back to. Please Shepard, we’re losing him”.

********

Garrus jolted awake on his bed into pitch darkness. He lay still listening to his heart thundering in his chest. Something had woken him but the room was silent. Slowly his pulse quieted as he concentrated on just breathing.

He sat up and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes until coloured spots danced behind his eyelids. He felt groggy, checking the clock he realised he’d only been asleep for about two hours. On a good night lately he’d get four or five hours but something had woken him.

He got up and went downstairs to the kitchen in just his silk pj pants, poured himself a drink and went to sit on the bunch under the big window that looked over the Strip. Then his skull exploded, his vision burst with tiny burning points of light and it felt like something was trying to claw its way out of his head.

He doubled over, his hands pressed tightly to his temples as though he were trying to hold his sanity from draining away, the glass fallen from his hands. The pain! He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even call out. He groaned and cradled his head in desperate hands, and trembled. Just as suddenly as it came it stopped. He froze, afraid to move in case he triggered it again. His breath was short and ragged, throat dry and tight. Starbursts clicked behind his vision and a wave of nausea washed over him.

“Garrus!” Liara was at his side, her voice strained with near panic. Garrus hadn’t realised he’d made a sound but the doors to the other rooms were open, his friends bleary-eyed but alert, ready to face the danger.

What they found was Garrus kneeling on the floor gasping for air, and a broken glass. He didn’t remember how he got from the chair to the floor but the glass explained his company.

Liara hesitantly laid a hand on his arm, “Garrus?” she asked softly.

“I… I’m alright. I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened,” he replied getting unsteadily to his feet. “I’m fine, really, I’m sorry for waking you,” he added. Ashley and James looked skeptical but at a flick of Liaras hand they went back onto their room.

Liara and Tali looked at each other, while their eyes mirrored their worry Liaras voice was steady,

“Come Garrus, let’s get you back to bed. You need your rest. I’m sure it was just a bad dream,”

“Yeah you’re probably right,” he sounded weary, “I think I’ll go for a walk though, clear my head.”

Neither of them stopped him. When the apartment door hissed closed Liara grabbed a pan and knelt by Tali to help pick up the broken glass. “He’s getting worse,” she said, her voice betraying the depth of her concern.

“I know, but I don’t know what we can do for him,” Tali replied, “We both know there’s no medical reason for this. He’s not sick.”

“Only one thing will help him,” Liara agreed, “I just hope it’s not too late already”.

********

The door hissed open to the hospital room, Garrus found the familiar whoosh and beep of the machines almost comforting. No change. He felt his tension begin to ease, on the short trip over he’d almost convinced himself that what he’d felt was Shepard dying. She still slept peacefully. He sat in the chair by her capsule and took her hand in both of his. He pressed his forehead to the back of her cool fingers and just let the rhythmic sounds of the room calm him. “Shepard, sweetie. Love of my life…” he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

“Garrus!” He sat up and looked around. “Garrus,” the exasperated voice of the Primarch crackled through the omnitool. He’d fallen asleep slumped over Shepards body. Oddly he felt refreshed. Garrus checked the time, it was late! He’d slept for hours, a dead restful sleep, now he stretched his back and pressed the button on his wrist cutting off another frustrated com “Yes I’m here, sorry,” he said.

“Where are you… silly question never mind, but I need you to come to my office this morning. It’s important,” Victus said, sounding almost regretful.

“I’ll be there shortly,” Garrus replied and signed off. With one soft kiss goodbye he made his way to the elevator, the doctors just starting their morning rounds nodded as he passed through the halls. When he reached the apartment mercifully most of his friends had left for the day.

Only James was there. Garrus felt relief and then a moment of guilt, he knew the others cared and only wanted to help, but sometimes the looks of pity in their eyes. Looks they thought he didn’t see, were almost unbearable. He was fine, not great, but he was coping. James was easy, uncomplicated.

James looked up from his breakfast, “Lola?”

“No change,” Garrus answered.

“Well, no news is good news I guess,” James shrugged and stood, putting his bowl in the sink, “well I’d better go, Esteban wants to run some new mod tests on the shuttle.” He nodded and left Garrus to it.

When he was alone Garrus quickly showered and dressed, and headed to the Primarchs office.

********

“No.” Garrus said. He didn’t even yell. It was a credit to his  control.

“Garrus be reasonable,” Victus pleaded, though the last half an hour of pleading hadn’t budged the man.

“Be _reasonable_!” now Garrus was mad! “I’ve given everything, _everything,_ for my duty. To Palaven and the hierarchy, to the Council, to the damned war! Which we won by the way. What more can you expect from me? After all of that, how can you still ask me to leave the last thing, the very last thing I have left? How much is enough?” He demanded, leaning towards the Primarch with both hands on the desk, half raised from his chair. His eyes wild and his posture screaming rage.

Victus waited out the tirade. He knew Garrus wasn’t mad at him, he was just mad. And he could understand. He’d known this wouldn’t be an easy conversation. Victus sympathised, but now the war was won his duty was to the recovery effort. It was a lot to ask, but he had to ask it, he just hoped it didn’t break the man.

“I don’t disagree with you Garrus,” he placated, “you and your team have done enough. More than enough. But you and I both know wars don’t end when the enemy falls. We have to recover, restore, while there are still survivors out there to be helped. We need the Trebian relay back online. You’ve done more than any of us but there’s no-one else to hand that can do this…”

“Not more than her!” Garrus growled, fighting for control. “I won’t abandon her. I won’t leave her,” his voice steely, immovable.

“I’m not asking you to my friend. If you agree to go, we’ll arrange for Shepard to go with you,” Victus watched his friends face closely, watched the blue fire in his rage slowly turn to scepticism, and then his shoulders dropped in consent.

 Victus kept his face impassive, though he knew now that Garrus would go. He let the silence grow heavy as he waited for his friend to come to the same conclusion. Keeping silent in such moments was, he’d learned, his best weapon.

Tali, who’d been watching the exchange with bated breath from behind the Primarchs shoulder, followed his lead and held her tongue. He’d already given her daggers when he’d arrived, she didn’t want him to think she was betraying him by agreeing to assist the Primarch.

Garrus took a deep breath and sat, the feral intensity drained from his eyes and body. He let his breath out in a huff, “Alright. If we can make it work, I’ll go.” He relented.

“We’ll only be gone a short while,” Tali reassured him,” and there’s no-one left to fight so it’ll be safe, and easy cruise there and back,” she added brightly.

Garrus knew they were right, he just didn’t like being backed into a corner. When would they run out of things to need him for? He sighed, “Let it go Tali,” he said tiredly, all the fight gone out of him. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, “It has to be the Normandy,” he said, his mind already racing ahead to the planning. Victus nodded solemnly. “And her primary crew, at least. If she wakes I want her to be somewhere familiar,” he rose, nodded once distractedly, and left.

“Well,” Victus said in a whoosh, “that went better than I’d thought,” he looked up at Tali still standing just behind his right shoulder.

“That was better! Better than what? Slamming your fingers in a door?” she asked incredulous.

“No one died,” he said with a wry smile.

Tali hmph’d, “So, when did you get approval to use the Normandy, and to move Shepard aboard?” she asked curiously.

“Ah,” Victus rubbed the back of his neck and had the grace to look sheepish, “I haven’t yet. But the hard part was getting Garrus to agree to go. The rest should be easy enough” Tali just looked at him, shook her head and laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

The crew were making their final preparations to leave the Citadel for Palaven, the ones who would be going anyway. Ashley had spectre duties so she was saying goodbyes to James. Wrex was back on Tuchanka, and besides, this was a tech job.

Garrus and Tali would be accompanied by a specialist Doctor, highly regarded in his field of neuroscience. Garrus had been prepared to call in every favour owed and pull any string available to secure Dr Malar though it turned out he’d needed little persuasion, the physician more than glad to offer his services to the legendary Normandy.

While Shepard remained steadfastly in a coma, Garrus wasn’t taking any chances. They had overseen the adjustments to her quarters to ensure she would be properly supported. When all was ready he carefully lifted her, the Dr carrying her monitors and cables behind him as they boarded and settled her in her cabin. The custom capsule would keep her secured during travel, and with state of the art monitoring and equipment keep them fully informed on her status at all times.  Garrus had set up a simple cot along the opposite wall which used up most of the remaining space in cabin. No-one questioned his reasons for sharing the room with her. Though technically EDI would be captaining this flight she and Joker were happy to continue sharing his own room as they always had.

There were also the normal operating crew and a few other scientists and bureaucratic personnel hopping a ride to Palaven. It had been three weeks of organising and outfitting, and soon they’d be leaving for the Trebian relay. Garrus was feeling almost optimistic having had something to plan for, to be moving again, something to do that felt a bit like old times. He’d even had a few good nights sleep. Tali and Liara seemed to have relaxed a bit too. He was just glad things were starting to look up.

Liara was the last crew member coming along with them, her expertise in Prothean technology couldn’t hurt on this particular mission, so he was currently helping her to move some instruments and books to her lab.

“Hey Ladies and germs, all aboard,” Jokers voice crackled over the comms, “pre-flights begin in 30 minutes.”

“We’d better get going before Joker blows a gasket,” Liara said with a wry smile. He chuckled, yep, just like old times.

As expected the relay deposited the Normandy in an empty dark corner of the system some way from Palaven. There was nothing of note in the area but one small unremarkable moon, so that’s where they were headed. Since the trajectory was off the relay insisted on dumping traffic in this quadrant they’d decided to try and recover some of the lost cargo from the early unmanned relief shipments. It was logical to start by scanning the rock in case it had pulled down some of the freighter pods down.

They had some time to kill before they’d be in range of the scanners, so Garrus decided to get in a nap. The trip so far had been uneventful, no change in Sheps condition, no threat of impending doom, they may as well have been on a holiday cruise. It was calm and quiet, and he hadn’t slept better since the war ended. He left instructions to be woken when they reached orbit and headed up to the cabin. He checked the medi-pod monitors out of habit now then lay on his cot for some rest.

_He was standing in the half-dark of space on a grey dusty landscape bare of any vegetation or construction. The surface was pockmarked and barren. A small planet, he could see the curve of the horizon. He turned and saw a shadow, darker than the rest, a small mound on the otherwise uniform plain. Garrus headed toward the little outcrop, his steps floating and slow. As he neared the ridge he realised it was the opening of a cave, a crack barely wide enough for a man to pass. The air moved around him as he stood in the opening, it whispered to him but he couldn’t make out the words._

_Garrus drew his rifle and used the mounted light to peer into the chasm, but the darkness was thick and all he could make out was that just inside the floor sloped gradually downward._

_“Garrus” he heard it this time, a breathy voice curling up from the void._

_“Shepard?” he replied, puzzled. The walls of the tunnel seemed to absorb sound as much as light as there was no echo of his voice, but he heard the whisper call his name again. He hesitated but it sounded so much like her. He was armed so with one more quick look around he inched into the crack._

_One step at a time, his light only illuminating the next few steps ahead Garrus moved further into the tunnel._

_“Shepard,” he called, but the walls themselves seemed to soak up his words._

_“Garrus, I’m here. I’m right here,” the disembodied voice grew stronger, clearer._

_He moved deeper into the darkness, suddenly the air changed. The oppressive weight of the tunnel lifting, the sounds that he been muted in the tunnel seemed loud in what now felt like a vast open space in the rock. He’d stepped into subterranean cavern where the sounds of his breathing and his steps echoed around the stone walls in sibilant whispers, the way they were supposed to. But after the eerie hush of the hallway they just seemed loud and stark._

_The voice still beckoned, getting stronger as he pressed into the inky space. He gradually noticed that it seemed to be getting less cloying, until he could almost see in the grey dimness. There was a faint glow ahead, the closer he got to it the more he could make out about his surroundings;  the rough stone walls of the grotto that reached up into obscurity above him, the course rocky sand of the floor. No footprints, he noted. Nothing had been in this cave for a long time, but still her voice spoke, urging him forward._

_“Shepard, where are you?” he asked, his words bouncing around the space like ripples on a pond. The cave was enclosed ahead, which meant there was only one entrance, the one he’d come in through. A little more confident he headed more quickly towards the green glow along the back wall of the room. He stopped suddenly as he reached it, struck with awe as he raised his scope light._

_A beacon._


	4. Chapter 4

_A Prothean beacon. The green glow gradually brightened as he approached until he stood in a wash of pulsing light._

_“Garrus, you came. You found me,” her voice clear and warm seemed to be coming from the beacon itself._

_“Shepard, what is this? I don’t understand,”  he said reaching a digit out toward the pillar. As his finger brushed its surface a vision flashed behind his eyes. He was standing before it, Shepard draped in his arms. The throbbing verdant light grew brighter until he had to look away as it engulfed them in a brilliant flash. When he opened his eyes again he was alone. The pillar now emitting only a dull soft nimbus._

_“Do you see?” she asked._

_“Yes, I think so,” he replied shakily._

_The light began to fade, and he only caught the faint words on the air as both the beacon and the voice winked out - “I’ll be waiting.”_

Garrus sat up abruptly on his bed. On the Normandy. It was a dream, just a dream. He sighed deeply, palming the sleep from his eyes as he swung his legs over the edge of the cot. He had a moment of regret, a quick sharp stab in his chest, it had seemed so real.

He looked over at the pod that contained her sleeping form, the soft whoosh and beep of the machines unchanged. He sighed as he started pulling on his armour, and startled when his comm crackled,

“Garrus,” Talis voice broke the silence.

“Yes Tali, I’m awake. What’s up?”

“You said to let you know when we got to orbit,  of that little moon, we’re about to reach scanning range.”

“Thanks Tali, I’ll be right down,” he went to the bathroom and splashed his face with water to banish the last of his drowsiness, then headed to the CIC.

They’d just begun the first sweep with the scanners when Garrus stepped off the elevator. Tali and Liara were watching the star map, Tali looked up as he approached and nodded,

“From the initial scans it looks like this little moon barely has enough gravity to keep itself from flying apart , but you never know, we might get lucky,” she shrugged.

“Well, gotta start somewhere,” his mandibles fluttered as he shook away the lingering fog of sleep, and stepped onto the deck.  Greeting EDI with a nod he asked, “Anything interesting to see?”

 “Not unless you’re interested in dirt and rocks,” Joker quipped, “but I thought you were more of an oceans and beaches kinda guy.”

“Ha ha very funny Joker,” he retorted at the reference that Turians can’t swim, “but if I can’t swim, neither can you.”

“Touche,” Joker laughed easily.

“Garrus I’m picking up an anomaly,” EDI interjected.

“What do you see?”

“It’s hard to tell at this altitude. I detect no debris in the lower atmosphere, it should be safe to make a low pass for a better reading.”

“Do it, might be some of those crates we’re looking for,” he nodded at the screen, “take her down Joker.”

“With pleasure,” Joker leered at EDI, at which Garrus made an indelicate sound and rolled his eyes.

“Was that a joke Jeff?” EDI questioned with a confused tilt of her head.

“Uh..Never mind”

“But Jeff..”

“I’ll explain it later EDI,” he even had the grace to blush. Thankfully EDI let the matter drop

They angled down to enter the planets’ atmosphere, low enough to be able to see the pocks and craters on the surface from space debris hits.

“We are coming up on the anomaly right ahead,” EDI informed. The three of them watched the plain speed by below until on the obvious curve of the horizon they could see a small mound, the only landmark of significance on the dusty wasteland. Garrus felt a moment of de ja vu.

“What is that EDI?”

“It appears to be a cave. The scans are showing a contrast in density from the surrounding surface, suggesting a hollow space under the mound.”

“EDI is it safe to take the shuttle for a closer look,” Garrus asked, eyes intent on the looming dark bulge ahead.

“There are no life forms that I am aware of, Gravity is light though slightly heavier than Earths moon, so landing and walking should be no problem. The is not sustainable however so you will require your suits.”

“Joker, let James and Cortez know we’re heading down,” Garrus said over his shoulder as he left the bridge.

“Aye Aye Cap’n.”

“Tali, Liara, suit up, we’re heading down,” he stated as the two fell in behind him on the way to the elevator. Tali just nodded, but Liara’s interest piqued at the news.

“What did you find Garrus?”           

“I’m not sure yet, I just have a feeling it’s something important.” He wasn’t going to elaborate on his earlier dream, but neither would he ignore the odd pull in the back of his mind that he needed to check it out.

“Once we’re closer EDI and I can run more comprehensive scans from the shuttle, Tali offered as they lit onto the shuttle bay floor. James greeted them as they approached the shuttle,

“Do you need some back-up boss?”

“Sure, can’t hurt,” Garrus replied as Cortez brought the small vehicle to life with a loud hum, and they donned their helmets and checked their suits were ready for a space walk.

Once they were clear of the Normandy the ship rose to a safe orbit to wait it out while the small team headed for their target. As the neared the rise, Garrus instructed Cortez to approach with caution, and EDI to do a last sweep for potential threats and hazards before they landed. He watched over the pilots shoulder at the looming mound as they drew near. No one knew why but they were all waiting in silent anticipation, and they all jumped as EDIs voice cracked into the tension-filled cabin.

“Garrus, I’m picking up an energy spike,” she broke into the loaded quiet, “The signature is familiar but doesn’t match anything we’ve previously encountered exactly.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“No, energy levels are dampened, perhaps by the surrounding rock the forms the cavern itself. I believe it’s coming from inside the cave.”

“Okay, can you set us down by the opening there Steve, and then pull back a way, be ready for anything,” Garrus’ voice was low but the orders were clear.

 “Will do,” Cortez replied as he smoothly touched down and opened the hatch for the crew to alight.

“Liara, James, you’re with me. Tali can you and EDI keep searching and let me know if you find anything.”

“Sure thing,” Tali said as she closed the hatch. Garrus, James, and Liara stood in the swirling dust as the small craft lifted again and retreated. They disembarked and stood by the dark mouth of the cave as the small craft ascended, moon dust swirling languidly around their legs in the low gravity.

Garrus shrugged his rifle from his shoulder and held it low in front, a precaution he told himself, but the familiar weight was a comfort to his strung nerves. His sense of trepidation hadn’t eased since that first lurch of recognition as he watched the mound approach on the CIC monitors. A fact he’d kept to himself.

“Alright, eyes sharp,” he threw over his shoulder as he pushed into the pervading nothingness of the crevasse. Flicking on his omni- torch illuminated a small circle at his feet but no further, the darkness seeming to consumer the meagre light.

He could feel James and Liara at his back as he inched into the narrow corridor to be swallowed by the close pressing rock walls. Garrus had to hunch his frame to keep from hitting his head on the tunnel roof, while James pulling up the rear guard had to turn his bulk sideways to follow. Liara, being neither 7 feet tall nor 4 feet wide wandered comfortably between them, trusting to Garrus’ finely honed senses and the guiding torchlight on the uneven floor as she inspected every visible surface with avid curiosity.

Before long the descending slope of the passage spilled them out into a vast subterranean cavern, the light from the torch touching neither walls nor roof of the space, but by the very whisper of the air and change of pressure they could feel it’s sheer size opening up above them.

“I know this place,” Garrus breathed to himself, “It can’t be.”

“Garrus,” Talis voice cracked through the comm, “The energy source is should be just ahead of you. Can you see anything?” she asked. He didn’t answer, but if the others noticed anything amiss they kept it to themselves.

“Nothing yet Tali,” Liara answered after a moment, lifting her own tool to scan ahead.

“Garrus,” she said to his back, I think I recognise these readings, they appear almost Prothean…” she trailed off as he shifted out of her line of sight revealing the faint green glow into the depths ahead.

“It’s a beacon, “Garrus said quietly, unsurprised as he strode forward towards the dully pulsing monolith.

“A beacon!” she sounded surprised and eager, her inner scientist kicking into overdrive as she followed on his heels.

James, having been silent until now, relayed the information to Tali on the shuttle.

“Keelah!,” came her breathy reply. “Intact?” she queried

“Looks like it, we’re just gonna check it out now.”

“Let me know if you need us to come back James, we’re not far away.”

“Ten-four,” James cut the contact and followed the other two towards the glowing beacon.


End file.
